Guard-rail clamp.



' Patented Sept. 22, 1914.

IIIIF I consist ost ont ei'v parte wif TIES CMITJT. DE le L lo.

Fotenteol .tiioootton titoli June 2%, i914. No. Eletti/2%.

To f/ whom if m ay ionamin f Be it known theo l, Joon S. lmwivoim, e' citizen of the United Staates, ond o, iesident of Reading, intlie county of Beeke and State of lenneylvonio, have inode enel in- Vented certain new and useful ments in fG-ueid-Roil Clamps, of Wliieli the -foflloofing ie o specification.,

My invention relates to on improvement in gnomi Pfeil clamps, the object beine" to provide e device ot' this kind which lmll l1 moy loe eoeily ond readily applied in position without the necessity of distin'bing the ,goood mil,

which, by i'eoson o its shape or oi'motion, will always be lielol rigidly enel tightly ogoinst the base oi the rails ond tight 'angles thereto.

A further object oi? the invention ie to construct clamp which sliiall be 'light weight, yet et the some time possess outil cient etfengtli to enable to withetontl the strains imposed upon it, ond fuetliei" tooo eliope oi' forni the yolie that it moy loe einu i'lo eil in conneotion with toile ot, dillfeifent 'weight and ,liei'l'i enel hei/ino; elitlierent thicknesses tirolo end Width ol bose, end With tl'iese enel othei' ends in `-View, cons-liste in oeetein not/ei tentures ot construction oe will be heiieino'tei 'ully described oncl pointed out in the claims.

ln the accompanying drawings, liigiie l is o View in .title elevation showing; nay inipioved guardrail oleron Secured to n moin enel gnomi mils. Fig. SZ is o plon View of the saine, lsome portions being broken owe-y foi' the Seite of oleoi'nees. 3 le Cletoolieil View in perspective of .the yoke.

Refeiiing to the drawings, l0 iepieeente the yolze, pi'efembly meile ofi-beam oon sti-uotion, that is, qwith a veitiool web ll having on its upper ond lower edges the projecting flanges l2 and 13, the ends of the yoke lik-15 being upwardly ond inwardly curi/eti. in ordei1 to assist in holding the sevm eral parte in their proper relative positions, es hereinafter described, the enel l5 of the yolze being materially Wiclei than the enti l, so that o Coinpzu'otively long :intl Wide bearing 'suiioce may be presented to the moin mil to Ainsure the yoke retaining its proper position rient ongles to the mile While being clamped tf'eeieto and also being looked oi seftltecl in position, Between this widened enel l5 enel the moin lmpirovel ijoil i6 Vand the rail lo, which lette? reste upon the tlonifgo portion lf2 ol the yoke, ie ioootefl oleinp block 18, seid widened end being gotoyiolecl with e veiticol'gioove' or recess l? eincl lioi'i oontol groove receso Q0, the lotte? torming e, step oi elioiililee 2l. llie .bloolt l@ io eoi'reepondingly :formeel with e. rib 22 fitting Into tile groove oi ieeeos 19 enel oleo pio-- vieletl "with oolionleler 23 littini nnflei"l the shoulder 21,0 tile bose of the Shaped to contorni to, enel odoptefl to test upon, the beeeot the moin teil lo, By teo son ofthe foeniotion of tlieee eeveiel poets, itoitilille uncleietootl vthot tlie elomp lolooli moy be inode of eoinewliet greoteif length tlnin lios heretofore been the cose in deviceo ont this chemo-tet, the result being tliot o coinpeii-ititfelyA long;l heeiingg' enieiooe io pieoented to the 1web of the mil with which the lslool oontoote; oleo to tlie onder side oi* onijooe et alle hood o tlie mil, enel to the eppoi' ventferne ot thev bose oit the mio-thus moet tlie yolize trein@ held et right to 'the roll ottone-being once pifopeily eeooiefl in plooe, enel oleo 'cloiiiag' clamping the yoke Yto the foils, Fiwtlien more, loy providing stepor shoulder upon this bloeit, enelv which teste the oui'ifeel enel of the yoke, ell dongeo of the letter dropping' oi tellin-gg eoin the ont tlie mil ovetoome, the 7filo 22 fitting into the neceeo il@ oleo ovet'ooining' nny dongei oi' liability ot the lolool; moving lotei'elly with telotion-to the enol of the yolio, 0i* engtli- Wiee with relation to the Poil. Between the lotte? also rests upon title enge portions of the yoli'e, is lozited the tillen block compris ing; sections Wil-25, these sections testing upon the besee of the moin enel guard mils, ond inipinging egoinot the Webs of these rails and also the under sides oi: surfaces of the heads thereof, the sections being inode Wedgeshape und having their adjacent edges provided with engegin teeth or eerretions in orden' to prevent ien* accidentel. movement one upon the otloei1 after being secored in place. lin oidei to assist in ietoin- 'ig these sections in their prope' relative positions, l provide the vertical Woll olVl one section, that is, section 25, with horizontal groove oi' receso 26 lengthwise ot tlie some, and the adjeoent vertical wollnot' the other section 25; with o, 1il3 oi flange 2"? adopted to nicely lit in seid ieoeoe 56, 'construction lool being' operation of guardi foil i7, which loo ' tion 12 of theyoke, it being evident that ii one section of the filler block be prevented from movement'lengt-hwise of the rails, the otherl section which interlocks with the iirst mentioned ,section will alsofbe prevented from accidental movement or displacement, the construction of these engaging sections,

however, permitting or their movement one upon the other for the purpose of properly holding the main and guard rails in their spaced relation.

Between the guard rail 17 and the narrow end 14 of the yoke is located the wedge or ke 29 adapted to impinge against the under si e of the head of the guard rail and the web and upper side of the base-of the same, this wedge-shaped block being provided with a lange or rib 30 fitting in a corresponding groove 3l formed in the end fl'of the yoke, the rib or ange 30 being providedfwith a plurality of holes orvopenings 32 for th'e reception of a cotter pin 33, cr its equivalent, whereby afterl the wedge has been driven tightly into place, operates to hold the Wedge from receding or backing out of place and Athereby securely clamping the several parts in thelr proper relative positions.

In order to lighten the several parts, without in any wise detraeting from the strength thereof where such is needed, I prefer to v form the clamping block, the sections ofA the ller block and the wedge or key, with the recesses or chambers 34, suilicient metal, however, bein provided to lend to the several parts su cient bearing surface to inipinge against the adjacent parts.

From the foregoing it will be understood that my improved clamp is simple in conn struction, and consists of but few parts easily and readily assembled; that by reason of the width given tothe end 15 and the peculiar formation of such end, the clamp will at all times, both during the operation of locking it in place, and after it has been .secured in place, be held in its proper position, at right angles to the rails and with no;

danger of its sagging or dropping away from the bases thereof. This is also true of the opposite end 14, by reason of the rib on 55 the block 29 fitting within the groove'or recess 31, the block at the saine time impinging against the head, web and base of the guard rail, the danger of the yoke sagging or dropping being also partially over 60 come by reason of the rib 27 formed on one section of the filler block fitting in the recess 26 fori'ned in the other section.

' What I claim is 1. A guard rail clamp comprising a yoke with upwardly and inwardly curved ends, one of which is providedwith a vertical recess and a horizontal shoulder, a clamp block provided with a rib fitting in said recess and with a shoulder fitting under said shoulder having upwardly and inwardly curved ends one of which is widened and provided with a vertical recess and with a horizontal shoulder, a clamp block tting under said shoulder and provided with a flange tting in said vertical recess, a sectional filler block for spacing the rails, and a wedge engaging the'narrow end of the yoke.

3. A guard rail clamp comprising a yoke having upwardly and inwardly curved ends, a clamp block yoke, a sectional filler block for spacing the rails, and a wedge engaging the other end of said yoke, the end Vof said yoke engaging the v clamp block being wider than that engaging said wedge.

Signed at Reading, in the county of Berks and State of Pennsylvania, this 22nd day of June, A. D. 1914. l f

JOHN s. CRAWFORD.

Witnesses:

HELEN D. Joer, H. ROBERT Mars.

engaging one end of said 8'5 

